In all our studies on gender and health one angle is particularly
overlooked or perhaps ignored. That angle is the influence of media on health. I think it should come as no surprise if I say that the media is an important institution when it comes to shaping our gender roles and gender identities (It is known as the fourth estate). Does it have any influence on health as well? This idea cannot be generalized to include both men and women but the media does create a very powerful notion of masculinity and what it is to be a man. The medias images of what a true man is can be divided into two broad categories. The manly man and the new man. The manly man does not take care of his health and considers it to be effeminate and a sign of weakness. Our action heroes are shot at and bleed profusely yet they refuse to get any treatment whatsoever because that is not how real men would react. They are also gruff and dirty not caring about personal hygiene or appearance. On the other hand the new man actively cares about his health, looks after himself and is generally very presentable. Another very interesting thing regarding these images. The notion of class operates within both these representations. The new man is urban and is generally affluent while the manly man usually belongs to the working class. Thus the media creates two standards of health for two distinct sets of people. Let us also not forget that many things that we learn of health we learn from the media like popular procedures, new developments in medicine, health tips etc. So when we try to analyze health from a gendered perspective we should always remember to incorporate the powerful force that the media is in shaping discourses surrounding health.